New bridge open in Coolbaugh Township ending long detour route

Friday

Dec 21, 2012 at 3:03 PMDec 21, 2012 at 3:14 PM

A bridge closed for more than a year and now replaced opened to traffic Friday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The bridge on Locust Ridge Road in Coolbaugh Township, which goes over the Lehigh River from Monroe County to Thornhurst in Lackawanna County, is important for the residents of the Arrowhead Lake development, one of the largest residential developments in Monroe County.

Many crossed the river for work and church, but were detoured about 20 minutes out of the way.

The $4.2 million project started in December 2011 to replace the structurally deficient bridge that had been built in 1946.